


Not a Disease to Be Cured

by AchillesMonkey



Series: Autism Acceptance Month Fics [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Ableism, Autism Acceptance, Autism Spectrum, Gen, mention of Autistic FitzSimmons, mention of a 'cure' for autism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-17 20:36:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14197236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AchillesMonkey/pseuds/AchillesMonkey
Summary: Daisy teaches Deke about autism. Based on a prompt from Tumblr.Set in a vaguely season 5B where everyone knows about Deke’s relation to FitzSimmons, but the ableist 5x14 and beyond never happened.





	Not a Disease to Be Cured

“Hey, Aunt Daisy!”

“I thought I told you not to call me that,” Daisy responded, not looking away from the computer screen. 

Deke appeared in her peripheral vision and she watched as he reached out to touch a coil of wires she’d left there. God, now that she was aware of the connection, she couldn’t stop seeing Fitz in him: the same little mannerisms, the fidgety hands, the constant need for approval. 

“What did you want?” Daisy asked when Deke continued fidgeting with the wires instead of babbling about whatever came to mind like he typically did. 

“Um, I just—I just heard Jemma talking to Fitz about something and I wasn’t sure what it meant, but it sounded like something personal, so—“

“So you decided to come ask your Aunt Daisy about it.”

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to call you that?”

Daisy rolled her eyes. “What did you hear?”

“She and Fitz were trying to figure out if something was a symptom of Fitz’s brain injury or his autism. I’ve heard the story of Fitz’s brain injury—how he nearly drowned to save Jemma—but I don’t know what autism is.”

Daisy leaned back in the computer chair and turned slightly to face Deke. “Officially, it’s a developmental disorder,” she began, using the same explanation she’d heard Jemma use before, “something you’re born with, and have your entire life. It affects how you communicate and how you experience sensory input. Like, you know how Fitz wears earplugs a lot?” Deke nodded. “That’s because he’s sensitive to noise. It sounds a lot louder to him than other people. And you’ve seen how Fitz flaps his hands when he’s upset?”

Deke nodded again. “Yeah, he’s been doing that a lot lately.”

“There’s a lot to be upset about right now. Anyway, that’s another autism thing. It’s called stimming, and autistic people use it to help regulate sensory experiences or to express emotions.”

“Okay,” Deke said. “So, Fitz has this disorder?”

“Yeah,” Daisy said. “He’s autistic. So is Jemma.”

“Jemma too?”

“Mmhmm.” Daisy smiled as a thought came to her. “You know, since they’re both autistic, and you’re their grandson, you’re probably autistic too.”

“What? Me? No way,” Deke said, shaking his head. “I don’t think we had anything like that in the future. I guess they figured out a cure or something.”

Daisy’s eyes widened and she stared at Deke, horrified. “Dude! I know you don’t know any better, but never say that again!”

“What?” Deke looked at her anxiously in reaction to her stern tone. “I’m sorry.”

“There are people out there who don’t accept autistic people, and who try to force them to not be autistic. They talk about a need for a cure, but autism isn’t a disease to be cured. It’s just a different way of seeing the world.”

“Oh.” Deke took some time to process what she’d told him. “Do you really think I’m autistic too?”

Daisy chuckled. “Well, I’ve seen you do Fitz’s pregnant lady pose, so—” She mimicked the pose, placing her hands on her hips, her fingers toward her back and her elbows sticking out.

“That’s a sign of autism?” Deke questioned.

“Well, not that specifically,” Daisy said, returning to her work on the computer. “But it’s an example of awkward body language, which is an autism thing.”

“My mom always put her hands on her hips like that,” Deke told her. “I guess I picked it up from her.”

“If you want to know more, you should ask Jemma,” Daisy said. “She’d love to tell you about it.”

Deke nodded. “Okay, I might. See you later, Aunt Daisy.” She gave him the finger and he grinned, sticking his hands in his pockets as he headed off to the kitchen to see if Davis had gotten the ice cream Deke had requested during his grocery run.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and/or comments/kudos!!! I am currently accepting prompts for Autism Acceptance month on [Tumblr](http://unlessimwrongwhichyouknowimnot.tumblr.com)


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